Mikhail Grigorenko
|birth_place = Khabarovsk, Russia |draft = 12th overall |draft_year = 2012 |draft_team = Buffalo Sabres |career_start = 2010 }} Mikhail Grigorenko (born Mikhail Olegovich Grigorenko on May 16, 1994) is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing Career Junior Playing Career In June of 2011, Mikhail was selected second overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. NHL Hall of Famer Patrick Roy (the owner, general manager and head coach of the Remparts) liked Grigorenko so much that he traded up in the Import Draft in order to select him. Mikhail played in 59 games during the 2011–12 season, his first in North America, and recorded 40 goals and 45 assists for 85 points. He led all rookie players in the QMJHL in goals and points, and was second for assists. Mikhail also finished fifth overall in goals scored and was tied for eighth overall for points while playing the fewest games of any player who was in the top ten in points. On March 20, 2012, he was nominated as the top professional prospect to play in the QMJHL during the 2011–12 season. The 2012–13 NHL lockout meant that Mikhail started the season back with the Remparts, where he played 32 games and recorded 50 points during the season prior to the lockout ending in January. At the time, he was leading the Remparts and fifth in the QMJHL with 29 goals and his 50 points were second on the team. Professional Playing Career When the lockout ended in January, Mikhail was invited to the Sabres training camp, where he made the roster for the start of the season. After playing five games with the Sabres, the team decided to keep him for the remainder of the season rather than send him back to the Remparts. On January 29, 2013, Mikhail scored his first career NHL goal against James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs. After 22 games with the Sabres (where he recorded one goal and four assists), he was reassigned to the Remparts on March 15, 2013. Mikhail went on to lead the Remparts in playoff scoring with 14 points in 11 games, before being recalled by the Sabres on April 16, 2013. After starting the 2013–14 season with the Sabres, the team sent Mikhail back to juniors on January 11, 2014. He reported to the Remparts several days later after initially refusing to do so. At the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Mikhail was traded by the Sabres in a package that included Nikita Zadorov, J.T. Compher and the 31st pick in the draft to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn on June 26, 2015. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs }} International Personal Life Mikhail was born in Khabarovsk (located in the Russian Far East near the border of China). His older brother, Yuri also played hockey and spent five seasons in the minor leagues of both Russia and Belarus. In 2011, after being selected by the Remparts in the CHL Import Draft, he moved to Quebec City with his mother and Yuri. While he initially didn't understand English, Mikhail took classes five days a week with a Russian teacher and by the end of the season, he was able to conduct interviews in English without the aid of a translator. Category:1994 births Category:Russian ice hockey players Category:Colorado Avalanche players Category:Buffalo Sabres draft picks Category:Rochester Americans players Category:Quebec Remparts alumni